Locked On Suns - Daily Podcast On The Phoenix Suns

In the middle of recording our takeaways from game one with Sam Cooper of The Timeline Podcast, a huge bombshell broke, via Adrian Wojnarowski: Deandre Ayton has been suspended 25 games by the NBA for testing positive for a diuretic.

What does this mean for the Suns’ chances in the short-term, as Ayton will have to sit out now until December 17. This situation will remain fluid up until tipoff tomorrow against Denver if not much longer, as the NBA Players’ Association will appeal.

We also break down the Suns’ upcoming schedule and our day-after thoughts on the Suns’ big win over Sacramento.

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How about that for a season opener? What an impressive performance from the Phoenix Suns in their 124-95 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Continuing our usual format from last season with our free throws, flagrant fouls (luckily zero tonight), and stat to watch, we talk through all the key figures in the Suns’ season-opener. From Ricky Rubio’s brilliant debut to Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton’s noticeable developments, plenty stood out.

Now, the question is will the Suns keep this momentum up or will deja vu happen with this win mirroring last year’s dominant opening night victory over Dallas?

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We are just as ready for the season as you, and today Max McCauley of the 7SOL podcast joins us to reconfigure expectations going into the 2019-20 season with some hypothetical questions.

More specifically, Max helps answer four would you rather questions that help us dig into the 2019-20 Suns season as well as the future of the team.

We close the show with a preview of opening night against the Kings.

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The 2 p.m. extension deadline for players on their rookie-scale extensions to sign new contracts is behind us. Dario Saric did not get a new contract. Still, from Buddy Hield to Jaylen Brown and Domantas Sabonis, we try to glean as much as possible from the new contracts signed around the NBA today.

How will this impact Saric? The Suns’ draft-night acquisition didn’t receive an extension before the deadline, so it’s time for him to prove himself to Suns GM James Jones. What does Saric need to do to receive a new contract from Phoenix in July?

Also, what type of salary figure makes the most sense for Saric if he does well in the Valley? It’s a pivotal year for not only the Suns to make a leap forward, but Saric to show why he deserves a nice payday.

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All of your latest questions were answered on today’s show as we open up the listener mailbag once more. If you want your questions answered, make sure to follow @LockedOnPHXSuns on Twitter!

Before diving into the mailbag, we discuss why the line continues to keep moving forward on player empowerment. If they don’t get what they want, leaving is suddenly in the cards. We discuss whether the Suns could be interested in any of the unhappy players.

Then make sure to finish off with answers on Ty Jerome to Frank Kaminsky and overall team structure as we head into the start of the regular season for the Suns.

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There’s a lot of news to cover on today’s episode, less than a week before the Suns’ regular season opener. From Marquese Chriss and Draymond Green to Bradley Beal inking an extension with Washington, lots of ground was covered in this one.

The biggest news today is what D’Angelo Russell said at the end of a SLAM Magazine cover story also featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker.

“When we’re all on the same team — I ain’t gonna tell you which team because I don’t know — we’re gonna do this again,” Russell said.

Should we take this note seriously? Yes. Could the Suns be involved in this dream scenario one day with Booker, Towns, and Russell?

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We break down what we expect Monty Williams’ rotation to look like next week and beyond. Williams has stayed true to his 10-man rotation idea, but have too many players forced his hand for playing time?

The starting lineup seems like a lock — Ricky Rubio, Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dario Saric, and Deandre Ayton — and it’s one that could be prolific offensively. Also, the second unit has the chance to be the best Phoenix has put together in years.

Finally, we examine where the rookies fit in and how the Suns can use their newfound depth as a real advantage on a nightly basis.

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What can we learn from the Suns’ preseason where they went 2-2? A lot.

From the all-around roster change to the switch from Igor Kokoskov to Monty Williams, it’s leading to raised expectations and what looks like a legitimately competitive roster. Also, the experience provided from the Suns’ 2019 rookie class is pushing this rotation possibly to 11 instead of 10.

After multiple years where there seemed to be no direction and youth in place of experience, the opposite rings true now. Now, it’s time to see if Phoenix’s franchise pillars — Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton — can take advantage of the opportunity. What did preseason tell us about how ready these two are to do so?

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Preseason has been hard to watch online or on TV this year, but we’re here to fill you in on everything you might have missed this week.

First, the Suns’ onslaught in Portland, as they made 24 threes and blew out the Trail Blazers. Then our live reactions from a difficult matchup against the Nuggets.

Are we any closer to knowing who will start at forward or who fills out the 10-man rotation for the Suns? Who has surprised us? What should we expect at the start of the regular season?

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Wondering how the 2016 draft class is doing for the Suns? At least one, Marquese Chriss, seems to be finding solid footing right now with Golden State. We go down memory lane once more.

This news shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges’ third-year team options were picked up today. Both will be long-term fixtures on the Suns.

What was Ryan McDonough’s original draft plan? It might have been unveiled this week. McDonough mentioned on a podcast he was trying to trade up to No. 1 overall in the 2013 draft to select Victor Oladipo. Would things have changed much in the Valley?

We then close out the show looking ahead to the Suns’ next matchups against Portland and Denver.

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